Welcome to the 2015/16 School Year and The Year of the Learning Commons

Posted by L. Ward, WVSS Teacher Librarian

School libraries are changing and the name is changing too. The change reflects not only the physical transformation of the library space, but how we work and learn in that space.  The Learning Commons movement is championed in North America by library leaders Carol Koechlin and David Loertscher.
 
The West Vancouver Secondary Library began its transformation to a Learning Commons model four years ago with the creation of a large collaborative working space.  Mobile tables and chairs allow for multiple configurations for student learning.  The library website, the virtual learning commons, provides access to quality academic resources.  Print books are used along side online sources, so a diverse collection of print resources in both fiction and non fiction remains an essential component of the learning commons. The teacher librarian’s role is to collaborate with classroom teachers to help students with their reading needs and research inquiries.
 
Want to know more about this new vision for school libraries? Two Vancouver Teacher Librarians wrote the book on it.   Check out their report: From School Library to Learning Commons.

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